


A Slice and Suds

by ashwritesstuff



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beer, F/M, Pizza, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 08:17:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13700532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashwritesstuff/pseuds/ashwritesstuff
Summary: An unexpected guest makes for an interesting evening in.





	A Slice and Suds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Julieoftarth (Wherethereissmoak)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherethereissmoak/gifts), [GumTree](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GumTree/gifts), [bearsofair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearsofair/gifts), [DanyelN](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanyelN/gifts), [justme (silver_spring)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_spring/gifts).



> For JulieOfTarth, GumTree, DanyelN, bearsofair, and justme who gave me the prompt, “Pizza and Beer” a few weeks ago during a JBO chat session. I find prompts to be a fun and challenging way to break out of a writing slump, which I desperately needed. Many thanks to Julie who graciously beta-read this little fluffball and has become my dear friend and personal cheerleader over the past few weeks. I love all of you very much. Thank you for giving me a prompt in which I have much experience.

Brienne stretched out on the couch, clad in comfy old sweatpants, a favorite t-shirt, and her beloved Star Trek bathrobe. She was looking forward to a quiet Saturday night at home with a special imperial stout, aged in Crannogmen Gold whiskey barrels that she’d been saving for such an occasion. Work had been taxing for the past few months and a quiet evening at home was just what she needed to recharge her batteries. Brienne poured the beer into a snifter and picked up the remote to scroll through her watch list, searching for her next TV show binge. She had just settled under a soft throw blanket and was finally ready to relax a bit when her phone rang. Brienne groaned as she fumbled in her robe pockets for her phone. She took a look at the screen and felt her face grow hot.

Jaime. Her best friend and the man she loved. Why was he calling? It wasn’t too late just yet, but it wasn’t exactly early evening either.

Brienne answered. 

“Jaime, are you okay? What’s going on?” Brienne asked. 

“Wench, I’m bored and tired of being by myself this evening. Come open the door; my hands are full. I’ve got pizza and beer.” Jaime kicked the door with his foot instead of knocking. 

“Jaime! Give me a minute.” Brienne exclaimed as wrapped her robe a little more tightly about herself. Even if she was not heavily endowed, she did NOT want to put on a “show.” Brienne opened the door to find Jaime balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder, a pizza box in one hand and a six pack of Brienne’s favorite craft beer, Blonde Enough Golden Ale, in the other, and an infuriatingly perfect grin plastered on his face. Brienne extricated the pizza and beer from Jaime so he could remove the phone from its precarious position. 

“Thank you, milady,” Jaime smirked as he slipped his phone into his pocket and entered her apartment. 

“This is quite the surprise, Jaime,” Brienne said as she searched for plates in the cabinet. “I’m afraid I’m not exactly dressed for company.” She gestured to her sweats and bathrobe. 

“Neither am I!” Jaime was clad in basketball shorts, a soft t-shirt, and hoodie. “You look great to me—the perfect attire for an evening in with pizza and beer. You’ve been so busy with work that it’s been ages since we’ve gotten to hang out properly.” With that, Jaime walked over to her, removed the plates from her hands, and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Besides, I missed my Wench.” 

Brienne was first a bit surprised, but then melted into the hug, savoring the strength in his embrace, contrasting with the softness of his beard against her cheek. She had missed Jaime too. She held him tightly in return, slowly rubbing her hands along his back, breathing in his scent. 

“I missed you too,” Brienne murmured, her lips accidentally brushing against his ear. She felt her face burn at the inadvertent display of affection and pulled away. Jaime just grinned and picked up a plate. 

“Come on, Wench. I’ve got your favorite ‘Everything but the Kitchen Sink’ pizza,” Jaime said opening the pizza box. “I brought your favorite Blonde Enough Golden Ale too…but I see you’re already sipping on something else?” Jaime picked up her stout, inhaled, then took a swig. “That’s the good stuff right there.”

“Would you like to share?” Brienne asked. “It’s a bit high gravity.” Jaime nodded and she took a second snifter from the cabinet, splitting the beer between them. Brienne grabbed the beer and Jaime plated their pizza. The pair repositioned themselves on the couch, placing their dinner on the coffee table. 

“Shall I propose a toast?” Jaime asked, lifting his glass. 

“And just what are we toasting this evening?” Brienne inquired, raising an eyebrow along with her glass. 

“To time spent with the people you care for the most,” Jaime smiled, clinking his glass to Brienne’s. She blushed furiously, and smiled. 

“Hear, hear!” Brienne said, grinning into her snifter as she turned her deep blue eyes to her friend. Jaime gazed into her eyes as he pulled a long draw of his beer, the view more intoxicating than the ale. Just then, Jaime noticed something he’d not noticed before. 

“Brienne…” he started, lifting an eyebrow and grinning curiously. 

“Yes, Jaime?” Brienne responded, a quizzical look on her face. 

“Is that my favorite Kingslayer shirt?” Jaime asked, his grin broadening in equal proportion to Brienne’s sudden blush. 

“Oh!” Brienne looked down at herself, startled. She’d subconsciously put on Jaime’s shirt, bearing the logo of his favorite band. He had left it at her place a few weeks ago after they’d worked out together. She’d washed it and intended to return it to him, but even after washing, the shirt had smelled like him. In the busyness of her work, she’d not gotten to return it to him and had taken to wearing it to bed. Jaime’s scent was comforting to her. He was always warm and despite her nerves around him due to her feelings for the man, Jaime still managed to put her at ease. Jaime seemed to always enjoy her presence, making her feel wanted and welcome. The shirt had become a type of security blanket, especially on restless, stressful nights like she’d had lately. In her bustle about the kitchen, she’d not noticed that her robe had become untied, revealing the band’s logo and her braless chest. While nothing was visible, the very idea of putting on a “show” for Jaime left her feeling thoroughly self-conscious and inadequate. Brienne blushed as she re-tied her robe, and responded. “I suppose it is. I’d intended to give it back the next time I saw you, but it’s been a while…” Brienne trailed off, her embarrassment mounting.

“Keep it. I like how it looks on you,” Jaime said, taking a bite of pizza, the cheese stretching as he pulled the slice away from his mouth. 

_How on earth could Jaime be wearing nothing but basketball shorts and a hoodie and still manage to be the sexiest man alive?!_ Brienne felt her face grow hotter as the strings of cheese broke from the slice and clung to his beard. Jaime smoothed his longer-than-usual hair out of his face and took a moment to remove the cheese from his beard. Brienne with difficulty and without success, tried to stifle a giggle at the scene. 

“What is it, Wench?” Jaime asked, laughing at himself.

“Nothing…it’s just that…” Brienne started.

“Just that what, Wench?” Jaime looked at her, his face growing suspicious. Brienne felt a burning sensation creep up her neck and stretch the length of her body. She took a deep breath. It might as well be now or never. 

“…it’s just that you can manage to make anything look good, Jaime,” Brienne blurted out. Was it the alcohol? Brienne couldn’t imagine a reason apart from the liquid courage she’d been sipping that would make her say such a thing out loud, and yet, there it was. She’d confessed her attraction to Jaime for the gods and the man himself to hear. Mortified, Brienne shoved a slice of pizza into her mouth to stop from further incriminating herself. Jaime just smiled and picked up his glass. 

“Brienne, you know I could say the same thing about you,” he said nonchalantly, taking another draft from his snifter as if he hadn’t just said something world-altering to her. Brienne coughed as a string of cheese snapped off the slice and dangled from her mouth. 

“Excuse me?” Brienne stammered, eyes wide, ignorant to the string of cheese swaying from her plump bottom lip. It was Jaime’s turn to stifle a chuckle. 

“All I’m saying is that you are driving me _insane_ right now. You look so cozy in those sweatpants and that robe that I just want to wrap my arms around you and hold you all night. You are filling out my shirt in all the ways that I like. And now you’ve got a bit of…” Jaime started to reach for the offending cheese, but thought better of it. He closed the distance between them, kissing Brienne softly on the lips, relieving her bottom lip of the cheese, _Lady and the Tramp_ -style. 

Brienne sat shocked, eyes open as Jaime pressed his lips to hers. This was everything she’d dreamed of for so long. Surely this can’t be happening. But it was. Brienne closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, relishing the little nibble Jaime gave her bottom lip as he removed the bit of cheese she’d suddenly noticed mid-kiss. She had never kissed anyone before, but kissing Jaime felt as right and natural as breathing. Brienne’s heart was a hurricane of emotional upheaval, swirling in the eye of the storm, surrounded by a release of long-suppressed feelings of love and affection. Jaime released her from the kiss, and pulled her into an embrace. Brienne relaxed into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as he buried his face in her neck, his beard tickling her skin. 

“Jaime…” she started, holding him tighter, afraid that he might suddenly flee if she released him. 

“Brienne…I…I hope that was okay,” Jaime stuttered, pulling her closer to him, running a hand along her back. “I just…I don’t want to make things weird between us. No matter what, I always to be your friend and I always want you in my life, but I can’t deny that I’ve felt much deeper things than that for some time now.”

“But Jaime, I…when…how?” Brienne was completely taken aback. The male of the species had found her repugnant her entire life. How in the name of all sense had the most handsome man on the planet possibly come to care about her in such a way? 

“I don’t know. I don’t care. I just know that I love you and I’d be the most honored of all men if you cared for me the same way.” The words flew from Jaime’s mouth before he’d realized he’d said them. His face burned, shocked that he’d vocalized what he’d felt for so long so quickly.

“I love you too, Jaime,” Brienne murmured into his chest. At her admission, both relaxed, melting into the embrace. The two stayed that way for some time, so entwined that it was difficult to tell where one began and the other ended. 

“Brienne?” Jaime said, stroking her hair as she lay against him. 

“Yes?” she asked, loath to move from this newly discovered position of comfort against Jaime’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. 

“We shouldn’t let good beer go to waste,” he smiled. 

“Of course not,” she said, though she did not want to extricate herself from Jaime’s arms. 

“Shall I propose another toast, milady?” Jaime said, removing one hand to grab his glass, keeping the other around Brienne’s shoulders.

“And just what are we toasting now, Jaime?” Brienne asked, smiling as she grabbed her own snifter. 

“To a slice and some suds, the secret ingredients to life-altering confessions,” Jaime smirked, clinking his glass to Brienne’s. 

“Agreed,” she said, sipping the sweet and potent liquid. Emboldened, she kissed Jaime again, tasting the ale on his lips. Pizza and beer just moved to the top of her list of romantic date nights.

**Author's Note:**

> I should credit the brilliant justme with the idea for “Blonde Enough Golden Ale.” When I first started the fic, I was still in the group chat, so I polled the group, asking for the name of a Westerosi craft beer. Blonde Enough was her contribution and it sent me into a giggle fit from the moment I read it. Please send her high fives and honorary degrees for such brilliance.


End file.
